Current Affairs - State - Discussion

The ICMR i-DRONE study was conducted in Telangana's Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri district in collaboration with AIIMS Bibinagar and the National TB Elimination Programme (NTEP). The initiative evaluated drone-assisted transport of sputum samples for tuberculosis diagnosis among 840 participants. It reduced the median diagnosis time from 15 days to just 5 days while significantly lowering patients' out-of-pocket expenditure from ₹9,451 to ₹91. The project also established a hub-and-spoke healthcare network connecting Primary Health Centres, sub-centres, and TB units, demonstrating how drone technology can improve healthcare delivery and strengthen medical supply chains.